A fitting fake uniform for a phony leader

San Antonio Professional Firefighters Association President Chris Steele answers questions from the media after the Bexar County Democratic Party announced their support for the union’s three propositions Sept. 20. However, the party is rethinking that position.

San Antonio Professional Firefighters Association President Chris Steele answers questions from the media after the Bexar County Democratic Party announced their support for the union’s three propositions

San Antonio Professional Firefighters Association President Chris Steele answers questions from the media after the Bexar County Democratic Party announced their support for the union’s three propositions Sept. 20. However, the party is rethinking that position.

San Antonio Professional Firefighters Association President Chris Steele answers questions from the media after the Bexar County Democratic Party announced their support for the union’s three propositions

It is a good fit. There is no sharper symbol for a phony than a costume such as the one he donned at a recent press conference to tout the fire union’s proposed charter changes.

A fake uniform may be the most honest public stance Steele has taken in this prolonged spat over the fire union’s contract with the city. He’s a character actor in San Antonio’s longest-running political drama. A man playing a part on the public stage, not to be confused with the genuine article.

Whether voters decide this November to bend local government in a way that favors the fire union, or think twice about following the guidance of a person who masquerades in costume, Steele has left us with an indelible image.

Even if he hangs up his fake uniform for good, he’ll always be the union head who dressed up as a fire chief.

As legacies go, there is nothing wrong with this. Many people remember how former Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis once wore a helmet to ride in a tank during a parade.

Closer to home, Spurs Jesus is beloved. But no one confuses Spurs Jesus with Real Jesus. Make believe is only fun when we all agree it is make believe.

And that’s just the catch here. From the phony badge with an eagle spreading its wings to the San Antonio arm patches, the costume Steele sported to celebrate a tenuous and careless endorsement from the Bexar County Democratic Party looks city official. Oh, there are small distinctions. His badge discloses that he is the president of the fire union, for example. But as these things always go, a person has to squint to read the fine print.

Charles Hood, the real fire chief, called it an “alternate uniform.”

But to be clear: not an alternate uniform in an official sense.

No wonder the Bexar County Democratic Party is having second thoughts about its endorsement.

It’s one thing to look the part of a leader, it’s another to be one.

Real leadership means showing up, honoring commitments and making one’s case to voters. In this instance, that would be this newspaper’s and the University of Texas at San Antonio’s town hall on the proposed charter changes. It was scheduled for the same day as Steele’s fake uniform press conference. Steele would have shared the stage with Mayor Ron Nirenberg to answer the public’s questions. Head to head. Toe to toe. But at the last minute, Steele canceled. He attempted to send a substitute, but the damage was done. Nirenberg canceled after Steele canceled.

There would have been a lot to discuss. The proposed charter changes would significantly lower the signature threshold for referendums to overturn City Council decisions, including tax and utility rates. They would cap the salary and tenure of future city managers, but not the current one, Sheryl Sculley. They would give the fire union the sole right to say when contract negotiations are at an impasse and force binding arbitration.

If he had shown up, Steele could have made his case to the public about why he thinks these changes merit risking the city’s triple-A bond rating, as the experts have warned. He could have explained why the union has never sat down with the city to negotiate a new contract, even as years have passed, or how capping the next city manager’s compensation or term helps San Antonio.

He could have responded to concerns about how these charter changes might affect city services from street maintenance to community pools to parks and recreation, and he could have asserted his own concerns that Sculley makes too much money and has accrued too much power at City Hall over her lengthy tenure.

It’s the type of dialogue voters deserve, but it would also come with a particular risk. Steele would have been judged by the substance of his arguments, and not just the veracity of his uniform.